Why do I like Konqueror...

[Alexander Barnes]

After reading Linux articles the last 6 months I thought after I installed Kubuntu the first thing I was supposed to do would be to get a "real" browser which for some inexplicable reason is not loaded by default - Firefox. Turns out, I rather like Konqueror and although I use Firefox, I usually start up K.

It always displays pages well, works fast, has a nice interface that I find appealing, and has never once crashed on me.

How's this?? Why am I supposed to not like Konqueror? What's wrong with me? Admittedly, I'm not into heavy graphical sites or video...does Konqueror really pale in comparison or is it a myth?

Alex -- Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron, with KDE, and browsing with Konqueror.

[Telengard]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

You're not alone, Alexander. I too have found myself enjoying Konqueror as my sole browser for Kubuntu. It renders most pages just as well as any other browser, including Firefox. Konqueror's speed and responsiveness certainly rivals that of Opera, leaving Firefox in the dust.

OTOH, for pages with high technical requirements it sometimes falters. Like any browser, Konqueror is just a work in progress. There is still reason to keep more than one browser.

IMHO, the real myth is browser branding. It supposes that users are more loyal to one brand of software than another. The truth is, most users just use whatever works for them.

[Alexander Barnes]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

I thought I was going to be a commited FireFox fan after I discovered there were other browsers besides IE ... I heard so many good things about it, found other users, thought it was cool, etc. etc.

Then I loaded Opera onto my Windows box for a classroom experiment - and just kept using it (I really like Speed Dial).

Then I tried Konqueror when I installed Kubuntu - and just kept using it (it just worked fine and I found no reason not to...and seems to render the pages I frequently visit very nicely).

All to my surprise! So my experience is also that browser branding is a myth... Perhaps I can note that in testing it out a little more, I found it was difficult to view videos on YouTube with Konqueror, so the work being done on it that you mentioned is quite right too.

Regards, Alex.

[Telengard]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

I thought I was going to be a commited FireFox fan after I discovered there were other browsers besides IE ... I heard so many good things about it, found other users, thought it was cool, etc. etc.

Firefox fans are very loyal, broadly speaking, but for good reason. It's a very advanced piece of software with a history dating back to the earliest days of the WWW, and the many extensions make it very powerful. Unfortunately FF has grown somewhat slow and memory hungry in recent years.

Then I loaded Opera onto my Windows box for a classroom experiment - and just kept using it (I really like Speed Dial).

I used Opera on a 486 machine with Windows 95 for a couple of years. It was very nice then, and it's gotten even better over time. Opera consistently outperforms every other Windows browser, rendering pages quickly and accurately. Strange that it isn't more popular among Windows users.

Perhaps I can note that in testing it out a little more, I found it was difficult to view videos on YouTube with Konqueror, so the work being done on it that you mentioned is quite right too.

That probably has more to do with the Flash plug-in than Konqueror. I think Adobe has done some work to make Flash more Linux friendly, but it can still be problematic for some.

[Alexander Barnes]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

Thanks for your thoughts Telengard. Good stuff.

[Telengard]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

About Flash problems, I should point out the thread Unreliable Flash Video in Konqueror in the KDE Community Forums, and the corresponding KDE bug 169626. I've experienced some problem with empty Flash containers while watching videos on YouTube, but reloading the page is usually a good workaround.

[jensoko]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

I would like to like Konqueror better. I'm getting kinda tired of firefox eating so much memory on my Lenovo T61. I use a lot of Google apps, though. I like to watch youtube and other media via the web (since I can never stay up to watch any good tv I have to catch it on the web when it's available). Can anyone point me towards some tips or a guide to optimizing Konqueror so I can make the switch. I've imported firefox bookmarks, but that's pretty much it.

I tend to leave my browser open when I put the computer to sleep, too (suspend to RAM). With firefox, it always seems to run a little slower after coming out of sleep, up to a point where I have to close and restart. I'd like to get away from that if possible.

Any help is appreciated.

Jensoko

[Telengard]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

Can anyone point me towards some tips or a guide to optimizing Konqueror so I can make the switch.

I'm not sure what you mean by optimizing, but if Konqueror isn't behaving as you think it should then you can always ask for help in the appropriate subforum here at KFN. Beyond that:

The Konqueror Handbook is the first place to look for how to get things done with Konqueror. It should also be available from the Kubuntu Help application in the K menu.

The Konqueror FAQ has some useful answers.

HTH

[kd8hho]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

here is what i use and why.

FireFox : I use it for general browsing and working on my website, posting on forums such as this site and others i go to and use it in my playing of cybernations and trukz

Opera: i use it to gather downloads that i add to my site. i like how it handles the downloads.

Konqueror: I use it for surfing my local file directory (ie /home/ /bin/ ect) and also use it to load up yahoo mail

[danielone]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

Konqueror 3 was very fast but Konqueror 4 is abslolutely too slow in my old machine (512 mb ram)

I tryed Arora and I think it will be the best Qt browser in a little time

[aged hippy]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

I think that Konqueror is unrivalled as a file browser/manager, and Firefox is unrivalled as a web browser, however, i also find it to be unrivalled in it's tendency to crash.

Ive started using SeaMonkey as it is really, really fast (and hasn't crashed yet ) but there are permission problems when installing NoScript, Personal Menu, and Adblock Plus.

@ danielone - thank you for the mention of Arora, it is faster than Ff, although i haven't yet tried to install any extensions.... and cannot import any bookmarks but i will keep trying it out.

[kaedan]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

I quiet like Konqueror aswell!

I hear that under the hood its identical to Apple's Safari! That apple have been using KDE4 and other sources for years in creating browsers.

Not too sure on the facts though, but i thought it was interesting.

[danielone]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

@ aged hippy that's because it's still alpha..... 8)

[Monster_user]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

I quiet like Konqueror aswell!

I hear that under the hood its identical to Apple's Safari! That apple have been using KDE4 and other sources for years in creating browsers.

Not too sure on the facts though, but i thought it was interesting.

The facts are not quite right, but they start well.

Apple borrowed the rendering engine from Konqueror, back in the 3.x days. This rendering engine was known as KHTML, and Apple called their version "WebKit". Now Google uses WebKit for Chrome.

These days, there is a big debate over whether or not WebKit is better than the KHTML used by Konqueror. Many side with WebKit.

-------------------------------------------------

My first exposure to Konqueror, was Konqueror 2 on Mandrake 7.2. I thought it was intriguing. Later, I really started using Linux in the KDE 3.2 days. At which time Konqueror had blossomed into a better browser.

Firefox started to load slower, and slower, and for quick browsing I found myself using Konqueror. Finally, it has become my preferred browser. The only reason I still use Firefox on Linux, is for Flash support.

[pookito]

Re: Why do I like Konqueror...

I have read all the posts for this thread and I have to agree with konqueror as a good web browser for me. What I like the most is that konqueror is really fast and that is why I use it. I wish there could be more support, but I am ok with the way it is.